Fionn Regan - Change the Locks

Today I bring you one of my favorite Irish artists. Fionn Regan is very young and extremely talented. Citing influences such as Bob Dylan, and Neil Young, Mojo magazine gave this singer songwriters second self produced disc 4 stars. While his second disc is exceptional, I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it. This is my favorite song off of his first disc, the ‘Hotel Room Ep.’ Enjoy!

Some songs hit you directly in the heart. It’s hard to give reasons why. Maybe you relate with the lyrics, maybe the music just moves you that way. Folky Bon Iver has managed to write one of these songs. Lump Sum is a beautifully layered masterpiece that grabs your ears and begs for another listen. Ambient and earthy, Iver is new on the music circut, but will be in Europe all summer. If you get the chance, you could always see him at the San Francisco Outside Lands music festival. I’ll be there.

Bon Iver - Lump Sum

If you are one of the few music lovers out there to not know Vampire Weekend, consider this your crash course. These fun, indie fashionistas are making waves out on the scene, and with good reason. For starters, they were on the cover of SPIN - March 2008, weeks before their debut album was released. Their blog presence is huge, being noticed first by African blog - “Benn loxo du taccu.” I’ve never heard of it, but Stereogum has, and they picked up the Weekend only 6 months later. And despite the numerous things I could name that makes these Columbia University boys the latest sensation, we really need to get down to the music.

Indie music for the past few years has been a little bit - depressing. For the better part of the 2000’s, the ‘indie’ tag has been so closely associated with ‘emo’ that has given a lot of great music a bad label. In the last few years, many indie bands have broken away from the flat-ironed hair and adopted true individuality. All that to say, Vampire Weekend might be leading the charge.

They make music fun again. As I watched them at Coachella, I looked back in the crowd and noticed people participating in a lost festival ritual. Dancing. This wasn’t the electronica tent, or hip hop tent, this was the side stage. The same stage that later held Dwight Yoakam and Mark Ronson (okay, people love to dance to Mark). Maybe it’s the ska like guitar riffs that lead singer Ezra Koening lays down. Maybe it’s his simple melodies in an under 4 minute song. Maybe it’s the ability to take a listen to a song once, and know the chorus. Either way, they’re a brilliant shining light for indie music, at it’s simplest. Check out their debut disc ‘Vampire Weekend’ and see if you agree.

Vampire Weekend - Walcott

About a month ago, I posted some great sites to find new free music, usually with no “signup” needed. I wanted to repost some of these sites for new readers, and take the liberty to add a few more.

Daytrotter - This is a studio in Illinois where some big names occasionally stop in, and record about 4 tracks, and then on the site they release these tracks for free. Death Cab for Cutie just did 6 songs with them, 2 of the tracks being from the upcoming “Narrow Stairs.

Emusic - Relatively new on the ‘free music’ scene - these guys offer a sensational trial program. You get 25 songs for free, and then can opt out. If you choose not to, they have plans to download 30-75 songs a month. It’s an exceptional deal actually. I suggest you check out their trial, as their mp3’s also work seamlessly with Itunes.

RCRDLBL - A great site for bands you’ve never heard of. You may be able to name about 10% of their catalog, but they really introduce some really good stuff that’s going on, and make it fun. With daily inclusion of throwback videos (devo, etc.) new mashups from old artists, and global music coverage, this is one hell of an ‘indie’ site. And it’s good for artists. Click on picture to be re-routed.

Download.com - Lots of streaming mainstream artists, and sometimes you really have to dig to find some great stuff. I got about 8 Iron & Wine tracks here, and even some Sufjan Stevens. Really good place. If you sign up for their email list, they’ll also let you know when you can get free downloads pre-album release. It’s brilliant.

Rhapsody.com - So here’s the deal w/ Rhapsody. You sign up for a 14-day free pass. In this system, you can get as much music as you want, at your fingertips. The problem is, it isn’t Itunes compatible. The upside is, it plays right in your browser when you download the plugin.

So, now you have some music outlets to go and load up your ipod or zune for the week. If this was helpful, subscribe to my email newsletter that will keep you informed of free music that I constantly find.

Tegan and Sara - So Jealous
As a guy, I find myself often falling in love with rock chicks. About 3 years ago, I stumbled upon Northwestern folk rock singer Brandi Carlile. I immediately bought her album, burned a few copies for friends, and actually paid their way into a show. After about 15 minutes into her set, I looked around and noticed that the normal venue clientèle was not there. In fact, the small 400 person Casbah was filled with gay women. I was smitten with a girl I could never have.

Then I discovered Tegan and Sara. Writing off their music initially because of it’s pop rock bubble gumminess, I found myself in a car with a friend rocking out to it months later. Once again, I bought the cd and headed off to a show. This time I knew about their sexual preferences, but I figured it was okay to still fall in love with them, seeing as how they couldn’t really manage to break my heart. (and still haven’t).

I just got to see them at Coachella for the third time, and they put on a damn good show. Make sure you check em out next time they’re around. I guarantee you that you’ll love the music, and everything in between it.